Syndicate

There are songs of Thakura Narottama Dasa, one of the acaryas in the Gaudiya-sampradaya, composed in simple Bengali language. But Thakura Visvanatha Cakravarti, another very learned acarya of the same sampradaya, has approved the songs by Thakura Narottama Dasa to be as good as Vedic mantras.

- from Srimad Bhagavatam 1.10.20

.... also ....

The prayers of Narottama Dasa Thakura, this sound is above the material platform. It is directly from the spiritual platform. And there is no need of understanding the language.

It is just like a thunderburst. Everyone can hear the sound of thunder--there is no misunderstanding. Similarly, these songs are above the material platform, and they crack like thunder within your heart. There is so much depth of meaning in Narottama dasa Thakura's prayers.

When a Krishna Conscious person is elevated to a responsible position, he never becomes puffed up. Just like a tree, when over-laden with fruits, becomes humble and lower down ; similarly, a great soul in Krishna Consciousness becomes humbler than the grass and bow down like the fruitful trees because a Krishna Conscious person acts as the agent of Krishna, therefore he discharges his duty with great responsibility.

One’s mother is equal to ten fathers, or even to the whole earth. There is no senior person equal to the mother. Indeed, she is above all others in terms of the reverence and respect due to her. It is for this reason that people offer so much respect to their mother. — Mahābharata anusāsana-parva 105.15-16

There is no śāstra superior to the Vedas; there is no guru equal to one’s mother; there is no acquisition superior to that of virtue; and there is no penance superior to fasting.” — Mahābharata anusāsana-parva 106.65

"What writing tips would you whisper to those who aren’t aspiring professionals, but would like to write better? If I asked you about losing weight and you said “Diet and Exercise” you’d be a) correct and b) ignored. So no ideas that take work. We want the quick fix!"

My wife, my neighbor Ajita and I are gradually coming up with a list of symptoms that could serve as a guide for fanatics to self-diagnose. Here's what we have so far:

You may be a Hare Krishna fanatic if ...

... you are perfectly comfortable with "That's prajapla!" as the end of a conversation.

... have ever demanded a list of ingredients when invited around for prasad at a devotee's house.

... ever gone so far as to seriously consider the legal consequences of cutting out someone's tongue for blasphemy.

... you opt to sleep on the floor next to the bed when staying at a relative's house.

... when a stranded driver asks if you can jump start her car, you reply, "No. That would be a waste of Krishna's energy."

... you cooked your own dinner at the vegetarian party Mum put on for you.

The reason I'm posting these here is so that we can collaborate. If you think of some additions to this list then please leave them as comments to this post.

The possibilities are endless and so many of us have tons of experience to draw upon. We'd like to keep them general enough not to offend anyone in particular, although we completely admit that most of what we've come up with so far have been inspired by real life events (cringe).

We called our friend Urjesvari who has the perfect sense of humor for this sort of thing. We're going to call back tomorrow and see what she comes up with, so stay tuned.

VICTORIAN state primary school students will soon be able to take religious education classes which teach there is no evidence God exists.
The Humanist Society of Victoria has developed a curriculum for primary pupils that the state government accreditation body says it intends to approve, The Sunday Age newspaper reported.

Accredited volunteers will be able to teach their philosophy in the class time allotted for religious instruction, the newspaper said.

As with lessons delivered by faith groups, parents will be able to request that their children do not participate.

"Atheistical parents will be pleased to hear that humanistic courses of ethics will soon be available in some state schools," Victorian Humanist Society president Stephen Stuart said.

The society does not consider itself to be a religious organisation and believes ethics have "no necessary connection with religion".

Humanists believe people are responsible for their own destiny and reject the notion of a supernatural force or God.

With devotion steeped in love and affection, the yogi should meditate within the core of his heart upon the laughter of Lord Visnu. The laughter of Visnu is so captivating that it can be easily meditated upon. When the Supreme Lord is laughing, one can see His small teeth, which resemble jasmine buds rendered rosy by the splendor of His lips. Once devoting his mind to this, the yogi should no longer desire to see anything else.

PURPORT: (...) The exceptional beauty of the laughter of Lord Visnu is that when He smiles His small teeth, which resemble the buds of jasmine flowers, at once become reddish, reflecting His rosy lips.(...)